HOW TO DEAL WITH ITCHY VARICOSE VEINS

HOW TO DEAL WITH ITCHY VARICOSE VEINS

Your varicose veins may cause an uncomfortable, itching sensation, but you don’t have to suffer. Here’s why your varicose veins itch and what you can do about it. Varicose veins can be painful sometimes. However, additional hidden symptoms of varicose veins may occur if the veins are not treated. In addition to causing discomfort and making your legs feel heavy, they can also cause your skin to itch.

The best way to keep the itchiness of varicose veins at bay is to manage the veins themselves. Keeping your legs elevated and making other lifestyle changes can prevent the varicose veins you have from getting worse.

What Causes Itchy Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are usually located close to the skin’s surface. Their damaged valves prevent blood from flowing back toward the heart causing a condition called venous stasis dermatitis (Varicose Eczema). This condition occurs when there is a circulation problem in the veins, generally in the leg veins.

Since it’s hard for blood to travel back to the heart through damaged valves, blood starts to build up in damaged vessels and leak out into the skin. Then, the leaky blood vessels might lead to not enough oxygen reaching the skin. Therefore, the irritated skin in the affected area may turn red and get itchy.

Itchy Varicose Veins Treatment Options

The best way to break the cycle of irritation is to leave the skin alone. Although, not scratching those itchy varicose veins seem impossible, but this is one way to prevent them from getting worse. Beyond that, it’s important to address the real problem which is treating your varicose veins.

Home Remedies

There are a couple of things that you can do on a daily basis that can help with your varicose veins at home. Exercising is crucial because the large muscles in your legs contribute to helping your veins and valves to push the blood back to the heart. It’s also helpful to wear compression stockings, which are tighter at the bottom than the top and can, therefore, help the blood get back to the heart. If you’re resting or lying down, be sure to keep your feet elevated.

Minimally Invasive Treatment Options

Fadi Bacha, MD is a vein specialist who is board-certified in internal medicine by the ABIM, diplomat by the American Board of Vein and Lymphatic, board-certified in anti-aging medicine by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine A4M, and a registered physician vascular interpreter by APCA.

Here at Lexington Vein Institute located in Lexington, KY, we offer a variety of treatment options that can help with your venous insufficiency problem.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that treats varicose veins, reticular veins, and spider veins. It involves injecting chemicals, known as sclerosing agents, into damaged veins.

Endovenous Laser Ablation Therapy (EVLT)

Endovenous Laser Ablation Therapy (EVLT) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses catheters, lasers, and ultrasound for varicose veins treatments. This procedure is performed most often on veins that are still relatively straight and untwisted.

Phlebectomy

Dr. Bacha uses phlebectomy as one of the treatments for varicose veins. Dr. Bacha makes a series of small incisions in the skin next to the enlarged vein and inserts a hook under the surface of the skin to remove the varicose vein.

Contact the Lexington Vein Institute today to schedule an appointment and discuss your vascular issues with the best vein center in Lexington, KY and it’s surrounding areas.

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSE VEINS?

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSE VEINS?

Varicose veins are a medical condition that affects both men and women in the United States. Venous insufficiency or reflux occurs when the valves of the veins are weakened, damaged, or absent.  Normally, veins which carry blood back to the heart against gravity, contain one-way valves to prevent blood from flowing backward. When the valves weaken, blood collects and pools in the veins causing them to enlarge. Enlarged veins increase pressure in the venous system and lead to varicose veins.

Here Are Some Common Factors That Can Cause Varicose Veins

Family History

Some of the choices that we make in life can lead to varicose veins or worsen them. However, it’s not necessarily your fault, family history is commonly a factor in forming varicose veins. If your close relatives have varicose veins, it might be just a matter of time until you develop them as well, despite doing everything you can to prevent them such as not smoking, eating healthy and exercising on regular basis.

Pregnancy can cause varicose veins

While pregnant, the women’s body goes through several physical and hormonal changes. Typically, most of those changes are temporary and go away after pregnancy. However, those new varicose veins might not. Pregnancy increases the possibility of causing varicose veins because as the baby grows, the uterus puts increased pressure on the veins. Hormonal changes, on the other hand, can also cause the walls of the veins to relax. These factors can combine to cause the one-way valve in one or more veins to stop working properly. As a result, blood that should return to the heart pools and stagnates instead. The result can be the heavy, itchy, uncomfortable feeling of varicose veins.

Your Job

If your job requires you to stand on your feet all day, you may want to consider the possibility of varicose veins forming on your legs. The reason is that the blood in your veins must fight gravity to return to your heart. Therefore, standing on your feet for a long period of time, especially in one place, will make it harder for the blood to flow back up through the body.

Weight Problems

Being overweight puts added pressure on the entire body, including veins. The added pressure on the veins might cause them to enlarge and damage the valves that keep blood flowing toward the heart. Therefore, people with weight problems should consider exercising regularly, otherwise, they may end up having circulation problems and making varicose veins even worse.

The bright side is varicose veins can now be treated with a minimally invasive, in-office procedure. In most cases, patients can return to work the same day. Lexington Vein Institute offers a wide variety of varicose vein treatments such as Sclerotherapy, Phlebectomy, and EVLT. Schedule an appointment today to discuss the different treatment options with Dr. Bacha and start imagining the ways you could love your legs again.